Dror Poleg
@drorpoleg.com
I research technology’s impact on work, cities, and markets. Bylines: NY Times, The Atlantic, etc.
DrorPoleg.com
DrorPoleg.com
WSJ: “Tesla is now requiring its suppliers to exclude China-made components in the manufacturing of its cars in the U.S.”
November 16, 2025 at 10:43 AM
WSJ: “Tesla is now requiring its suppliers to exclude China-made components in the manufacturing of its cars in the U.S.”
A small step for ChatGPT — a giant leap for writers who love em-dashes.
November 14, 2025 at 5:17 PM
A small step for ChatGPT — a giant leap for writers who love em-dashes.
Most bubbles overestimate demand. The AI bubble overestimates supply.
The models will be used more widely and more heavily. But we won't have enough electricity to keep up.
The models will be used more widely and more heavily. But we won't have enough electricity to keep up.
November 13, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Most bubbles overestimate demand. The AI bubble overestimates supply.
The models will be used more widely and more heavily. But we won't have enough electricity to keep up.
The models will be used more widely and more heavily. But we won't have enough electricity to keep up.
Pension funds are ditching rigid stocks/bonds/alt allocations for the sake of YOLO on whatever works.
“a growing list of funds is ditch[ing] asset-class silos… Instead, they pit investments against each other in search of the best bet for the whole portfolio.”
“a growing list of funds is ditch[ing] asset-class silos… Instead, they pit investments against each other in search of the best bet for the whole portfolio.”
‘Total Portfolio Approach’ Is Shaking Up How Trillions Get Managed
In the staid world of sovereign wealth and pension funds, an evolution is underway that could rewrite how trillions of dollars get invested.
www.bloomberg.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Pension funds are ditching rigid stocks/bonds/alt allocations for the sake of YOLO on whatever works.
“a growing list of funds is ditch[ing] asset-class silos… Instead, they pit investments against each other in search of the best bet for the whole portfolio.”
“a growing list of funds is ditch[ing] asset-class silos… Instead, they pit investments against each other in search of the best bet for the whole portfolio.”
“Americans aged 70 and above now own 39% of all stocks and mutual funds, almost twice as much as was common from 1989 to 2009… Many now eschew traditional investment advice, which is concerned with protecting rather than increasing wealth.”
economist.com/finance-and-...
economist.com/finance-and-...
Old folk are seized by stockmarket mania
Investing in equities may make sense for individuals—but it could also exacerbate a crash
economist.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:52 AM
“Americans aged 70 and above now own 39% of all stocks and mutual funds, almost twice as much as was common from 1989 to 2009… Many now eschew traditional investment advice, which is concerned with protecting rather than increasing wealth.”
economist.com/finance-and-...
economist.com/finance-and-...
Whatever the problem, there’s one solution Democrats and Republicans always agree on: more debt.
November 10, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Whatever the problem, there’s one solution Democrats and Republicans always agree on: more debt.
OpenAI: “It is true that work will be different, the economic transition may be very difficult in some ways, and it is even possible that the fundamental socioeconomic contract will have to change.”
AI progress and recommendations
AI is unlocking new knowledge and capabilities. Our responsibility is to guide that power toward broad, lasting benefit.
openai.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:15 PM
OpenAI: “It is true that work will be different, the economic transition may be very difficult in some ways, and it is even possible that the fundamental socioeconomic contract will have to change.”
We live in a pasta economy. The only way to know if something is valuable is to throw it at the wall and see if it sticks.
November 7, 2025 at 7:03 PM
We live in a pasta economy. The only way to know if something is valuable is to throw it at the wall and see if it sticks.
Game of Drones: “Ukraine’s drone operators are [using] a digital rewards program where pilots earn points for confirmed hits, then trade those points for new drones, upgrades, and tech tools.”
Gamified War: Ukraine’s Drone Pilots Now Earn Points for Kills and Upgrades
Image Credit: Pixabay, nextvoyage
gamerblurb.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Game of Drones: “Ukraine’s drone operators are [using] a digital rewards program where pilots earn points for confirmed hits, then trade those points for new drones, upgrades, and tech tools.”
Manufacturing is coming back to America. But there’s a catch…
"It will be Al humanoid robots making Al servers."
"It will be Al humanoid robots making Al servers."
November 6, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Manufacturing is coming back to America. But there’s a catch…
"It will be Al humanoid robots making Al servers."
"It will be Al humanoid robots making Al servers."
Virginia, America’s data center capital, has a new governor. Her campaign was boosted by rising electricity costs.
November 5, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Virginia, America’s data center capital, has a new governor. Her campaign was boosted by rising electricity costs.
“Addicted to their screens, strapped for cash, spiritually unmoored and socially stunted by the pandemic, young New Yorkers needed a reason to get out of the house… Mr. Mamdani’s campaign wasn’t just about mobilizing, but socializing.”
November 5, 2025 at 12:45 AM
“Addicted to their screens, strapped for cash, spiritually unmoored and socially stunted by the pandemic, young New Yorkers needed a reason to get out of the house… Mr. Mamdani’s campaign wasn’t just about mobilizing, but socializing.”
Google joins the race to build data centers in space.
“our new research moonshot, Project Suncatcher, envisions compact constellations of solar-powered satellites, carrying Google TPUs and connected by free-space optical links.”
“our new research moonshot, Project Suncatcher, envisions compact constellations of solar-powered satellites, carrying Google TPUs and connected by free-space optical links.”
November 5, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Google joins the race to build data centers in space.
“our new research moonshot, Project Suncatcher, envisions compact constellations of solar-powered satellites, carrying Google TPUs and connected by free-space optical links.”
“our new research moonshot, Project Suncatcher, envisions compact constellations of solar-powered satellites, carrying Google TPUs and connected by free-space optical links.”
Th IDF is banning Chinese cars. Meanwhile, US government offices are full of Chinese-made devices. Not to mention TikTok…
November 4, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Th IDF is banning Chinese cars. Meanwhile, US government offices are full of Chinese-made devices. Not to mention TikTok…
The future according to NYC: Fewer, but better-paying finance jobs + An explosion of healthcare and welfare jobs
November 3, 2025 at 12:26 PM
The future according to NYC: Fewer, but better-paying finance jobs + An explosion of healthcare and welfare jobs
“Over the past four weeks, a new AI creation has debuted on a Billboard chart in each week... The most prominent example
is Xania Monet, an AI-generated singer that has racked up more than 44 millions streams”
is Xania Monet, an AI-generated singer that has racked up more than 44 millions streams”
These AI ‘Singers’ Charting On Billboard Are Actually AI Generated
Xania Monet, an AI-created singer whose music has racked up millions of streams in the United States, became the first AI creation to hit Billboard’s radio airplay chart this week.
www.forbes.com
November 2, 2025 at 8:27 PM
“Over the past four weeks, a new AI creation has debuted on a Billboard chart in each week... The most prominent example
is Xania Monet, an AI-generated singer that has racked up more than 44 millions streams”
is Xania Monet, an AI-generated singer that has racked up more than 44 millions streams”
“When participants in the study were asked whether ‘financial stability’ or ‘moving up the income ladder’ was more important, 77% chose stability.”
The Tyranny of the Low-Quality Job
For decades, a job has been seen as the key to escaping poverty. A major new study turns the question on its head: What if hardship is the result of employment, as opposed to the absence of it?
www.bloomberg.com
November 2, 2025 at 2:14 PM
“When participants in the study were asked whether ‘financial stability’ or ‘moving up the income ladder’ was more important, 77% chose stability.”
The "AI will never be better than humans at [some obscure edge case]" has little *economic* significance.
Cars still can't navigate some terrain as well as horses did, but no one cares... and the whole world was paved to accommodate their needs.
Cars still can't navigate some terrain as well as horses did, but no one cares... and the whole world was paved to accommodate their needs.
November 1, 2025 at 7:27 PM
The "AI will never be better than humans at [some obscure edge case]" has little *economic* significance.
Cars still can't navigate some terrain as well as horses did, but no one cares... and the whole world was paved to accommodate their needs.
Cars still can't navigate some terrain as well as horses did, but no one cares... and the whole world was paved to accommodate their needs.
It's about to become legal: Create new songs using the voices and styles of your favorite artists.
The world's largest record label just settled its lawsuit with a startup that generates "cloned" music.
The world's largest record label just settled its lawsuit with a startup that generates "cloned" music.
November 1, 2025 at 1:14 PM
It's about to become legal: Create new songs using the voices and styles of your favorite artists.
The world's largest record label just settled its lawsuit with a startup that generates "cloned" music.
The world's largest record label just settled its lawsuit with a startup that generates "cloned" music.
The way productivity booms work: First, massive investment in new tech. Actual productivity boom only materializes a few years later.
October 31, 2025 at 7:27 PM
The way productivity booms work: First, massive investment in new tech. Actual productivity boom only materializes a few years later.
The discrepancy between Big Tech's growth and the rate at which they are shedding employees and office space is simply stunning. We've never seen anything like it.
October 31, 2025 at 1:14 PM
The discrepancy between Big Tech's growth and the rate at which they are shedding employees and office space is simply stunning. We've never seen anything like it.
The less zero-sum the world becomes, the more zero-sum the world feels.
October 30, 2025 at 7:27 PM
The less zero-sum the world becomes, the more zero-sum the world feels.
“Chipotle cut its full-year sales outlook for the third straight quarter as the company continues to deal with a traffic decline and economic pressure on its core customer, particularly young people.”
Chipotle stock craters as company says young people without jobs can't afford their food anymore
Chipotle's menu innovation was not enough to lure in customers who are being pickier during the third quarter.
finance.yahoo.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:31 PM
“Chipotle cut its full-year sales outlook for the third straight quarter as the company continues to deal with a traffic decline and economic pressure on its core customer, particularly young people.”
“MrBeast employs over a thousand ‘clippers’ who create short versions of his videos and share them on social media to steer audiences to his YouTube channel.”
Paid Armies of 'Clippers' Boost Internet Stars Like MrBeast
Anthony Fujiwara, 23, created Clipping to turn online stars’ content into viral videos
www.bloomberg.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:14 PM
“MrBeast employs over a thousand ‘clippers’ who create short versions of his videos and share them on social media to steer audiences to his YouTube channel.”
Remember when ChatGPT was supposed to kill Google?
Google's search revenue is up 15% year-on-year. A reminder that AI's impact is not going to be linear.
Google's search revenue is up 15% year-on-year. A reminder that AI's impact is not going to be linear.
October 29, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Remember when ChatGPT was supposed to kill Google?
Google's search revenue is up 15% year-on-year. A reminder that AI's impact is not going to be linear.
Google's search revenue is up 15% year-on-year. A reminder that AI's impact is not going to be linear.